Do you believe in the importance to health of a healthy and balanced diet?
What is a diet?
Do you know the Mediterranean Diet? And the Atlantic Diet?
Health Patrol: Mission 2
Think about what you eat
Research
Food and health
Nutrition is one of the pillars of health and development. In people of all ages better nutrition can strengthen the immune system, contract fewer illnesses and enjoy a stronger health. (1)
According to the WHO, an unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
(1) Source: WHO, "10 Nutrition Facts". Online resource. [Last accessed: 10/6/2017]
Choose a good diet
The decisions we make when it comes to food are very influenced by the environment in which we live.
There is a wide variety of feeding patterns in the world. There are studies that point out that some are healthier than others.
- What is a diet?
Look up in a dictionary the meaning of the term "diet." There are probably several definitions. Which one fits better in this project? Why?
Among the diets most closely linked to our community are the Mediterranean Diet and the Atlantic Diet. Both have a prominent place in the recommendations of nutrition experts.
- What is the Mediterranean diet?
In the website of the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea you can find a lot of information. Look for the "Decalogue" with the ten fundamental recommendations.
- What is the Athletic Diet?
Research on the website of the Fundación Dieta Atlántica what this diet consists of.
Less salt, less sugar, less fat
Some recommendations for healthy eating are given on the World Health Organization (WHO) website. They advise limiting the consumption of salt, sugar and fats.
Salt
The WHO recommends limiting the consumption of salt to less than 5 grams a day (one tablespoon of coffee). High salt intake contributes to high blood pressure.If salt intake were reduced to the recommended level, 1.7 million deaths a year could be avoided.
Often we are not aware of how much salt we consume. Most of the salt comes from pre-cooked dishes, processed meats (bacon, ham, sausage), salty snacks ...
Sugar
Free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of the total calories we consume. To achieve greater health benefits, that amount should be less than 5%. Consumption of sugar free increases the risk of dental caries . Excess calories from foods and beverages with a high free sugar content also contribute to weight gain , which can lead to overweight and obesity. More information on sugar consumption and why should we reduce it (link).Fats
Fat consumption should be limited to 30% of daily caloric intake.unsaturated fats (present, for example, in fish oil, avocados, dried fruits, or sunflower and olive oil) are preferable to saturated fats (present, for example, in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, Cheese and pork butter)
Trans industrial fats (present in processed foods, fast food, snacks, fried foods, frozen pizzas , Pastries, cookies, margarines and spreads) are not part of a healthy diet.
Check what you have learned
After collecting information on different diets, healthy eating and WHO recommendations, you can do some interactive activities, answering a number of questions. You will find them in the next page.
Task
Each team collects information on the Net about different types of diets: Atlantic, Mediterranean, and other, to make a report.
Create a text document entitled "Benefits of Healthy Eating" in Google Drive.
Following the recommendations of the Mediterranean Diet, produce a table with a food list with three columns: foods that should be eaten frequently, foods that should be eaten in moderation, and foods that should be consumed only occasionally. Each column must name at least five foods. They will be accompanied by pictures of each of the foods.
Then, in the same text document, you will answer the following questions:
- What are the advantages of eating healthy?
- Do you have difficulties, or is it easy?
- What are the most common eating errors in adolescence?
The report will be shared with the teacher.
Assessment of the task
F. Jaureguizar, Sample rubric (CC BY-SA)
To evaluate the task, the following rubrics will be used:
- Rubric for the teacher (pdf - 49.62 KB).
- Rubric for students: Self-assessment (pdf - 47.67 KB).
- Rubric for students: Peer assessment (pdf - 49.22 KB).
Read them carefully before starting the work and check at the end if you meet the requirements contained therein.
(HINT: You can also look at the rubric of the teacher, not only the students.)
Learning Journal
Write a new entry in your Journal now. Tell what you have learned in this task.
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